Pocket door pull



March 5, 1957 J. G. STEIRLING EI'AL 2,783,494

POC! (ET DOOR PULL Filed June 24, 1955 fun-Trig United States Patent 1O POCKET DOOR PULL John .G. Sterling, Crystal Lake, and Thorwald Ohrnan, Chicago, Ill., assignors to John Sterling Corporation, a corporation of Illinois Application June 24, 1955, Serial No. 517,836 2 Claims. (Cl. 16-124) ,This invention relates generally to building hardware and more particularly to an improved door pull especially useful with sliding doors.

- At present sliding doors employ either edge pulls or flush pulls or both depending on the particular installation. Normally a pocket sliding door, or that is, one which is arranged to recess into a concealed pocket, employs an edge pull for retrieving the door from the pocket. Most edge pulls comprise a lever system, a retractable finger engaging hook or a plate with an opening for. the operators finger whereby the door may be grasped. The use of an edge pull, however, does not afford a finger engaging opening in the side of the door as is normally provided by means of a flush pull. Therefore, pocket door installations, as now known often include both edge and flush pulls. The expense and manufacturing inconvenience of providing both types of pulls makes it desirable to seek another solution to the problem and to that end our present invention is directed.

Particularly vexatious in present flush pull use is the problem of pinching the fingers when the sliding door recesses into its concealing pocket. Edge pulls likewise have their drawbacks, foremost of which is their inability to provide a means for engaging the door at areas other than at the edge. This limitation causes much inconvenience in operating a partially open door, for example, or in bringing the door into engagement with a striker installed in the door jamb for locking the door in its closed condition.

Recognizing the need for an improved product in these circumstances we have set about to devise a new and improved door pull especially useful with sliding doors which embodies a unique construction permitting use of the pull as either an edge pull and/ or a flush pull. The exact means by which we accomplish this structural advancement will be recognized more fully from descriptive materials found hereinafter.

Among the objects of our invention is the provision of a new door pull for sliding doors.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved construction for a door pull whereby such is functional as an edge and/or a flush pull in sliding doors and the like.

The above and further objects, features and advantages of this invention will be recognized by those familiar with the art from the detailed description of its features and construction which follows. Such description will be especially understood in view of the illustrated embodiment found in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a partial perspective view illustrating a typical pocket door installation embodying the improved pull of our invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged partial and elevational view displaying the appearance of the operating end of our improved door pull;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the pull means 2,783,494 PatentedMar. 5,1957

'ice

' at 5-5 of Figure 3.

Turning now to Figure 1 of the drawings in particular, it will be recognized that an improved pull of this invention is installed along the leading edge of a sliding door indicated generally by numeral 11; such door being installed in a receptive pocket frame in the particular embodiment illustrated and cooperating to close over a suitable door opening defined by door jamb assembly 12 according to conventional practice. The particular features of the door installation do not pertain to our present invention since such is directed specifically to the improved pull for use with the sliding doors of the pocket variety as illustrated. Without dwelling further therefore on the surroundings and circumstances in which the improved pull of our invention may be' employed we will turn now to its structural features and to the elements which comprise the improved combination of this invention.

16, as the case may be, comprises a front wall and a.

transversely related side wall portion'21, as seen from Figure 3. The side wall portion 21 is curved, asat 22, to avoid sharp corners and improve and general appearance.

The side wall 21 and the front wall 20 are each indented inwardly to present a recessed finger receiving pocket 23. Such pocket is defined substantially by a curvilinear wall section 24 (see Figure 4) extending between wall portion 21 and a raised lip portion 25, which defines one lateral edge of a reduced front wall portion 20a. Note in particular that lip portion 25 and the central wall portion 24 of the pocket recess are inter-defined by a reentrant curved portion 26. The wall portion 24 and the side wall 21 are interjoined by curved portions adjacent their upper and lower ends as at wall portions 27 and 28. Such upper and lower wall portions 27 and 28 are each invaded by openings for the passage of a fastening screw 29, 29. Each of such curved wall portions 27 and 28 also integrally merges with upper and lower wall portions 30 and 31, respectively, which are formed as integral portions of the side wall portion 21 and front wall portion 20.

It will be appreciated that when installing a pull 10 of our invention a single cut-out of substantially rectangular formation is made in one edge of the door as indicated generally by numeral 33. By placing of the two half segments or shells 15 and 16 in registering back-toback relation whereat their front walls 20 abuttingly engage or overlap along adjacent edges 34 (see Figure 2) such pull is then disposed in suitable position for connection with the door as by fastening the screw means 29. In regard to the fasteners 29 it will be understood that such pass through the upper and lower end walls 27 and 28 of the finger engaging recess or pocket as described hereinabove and invade the door 11 for securely fastening the pull halves in place.

In the particular embodiment illustrated our improved edge pull is shown in association with a standard 1% inch door. In such an installation the edges 34 of the two pull halves abuttingly engage as described. The positioning of one front wall 20 in front of the cone its operating safety sponding trout wall'fltlatof-shell 16, for example, permits a lateral adjnstment of the pull to accommodate variations H v in door thickness. The particular size of the pull, shown in full scale herein, is designed to accommodate doors haging thicknessesoffrom.'l-% inches to 1% jinches. Thus the pull is versatile for'covering a range of. door thicknesseswhich substantially embrace. the normal thicknesses employed in residential construction.

It'will be appreciated additionally that by stamping the two shell halves 15 and 16 in the manner illustrated, thefron-t wall portions; 20"and 20a. thereof are reduced in lateral dimensionsufiiciently to provide a clearance, portion or necked-down. area 35 toaccommodate at least a partial passage of the operators fingers when. shutting the; door. While such passage or clearance 35 is not sutficienttq,accommodatethe.fuILthickness of the operators fingers, itisneverthelesssutficient to prevent or substantiallyeliminate pinching-the users fingers. In addition to-its operation asarredgepull, which is brought about by'merely-graspingthetwosides of the pull between forefingenand thumbfor advancing or moving, the door according to the desired direction of motion, the raised lip 25 permits operation. of the pull from the side of the door as a flushpull.

Thus we havev set forththe features and characteristics of the improved door pull of our invention and while We appreciate that numerous changes, modifications and sub stitutions of equivalent materials may be made therein, it is nonetheless thought that such will not necessarily depart from the spirit and scope of the inventive concepts disclosed and involved herein. As a consequence it is not our intentiontto be limitedto the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described hereinabove except as may appear in the following appended claims.

We claim:

-Q fi e -r 1 o hsrc s d c ibedf q ith li ein'g doors, comprising, a'two part casingvhaving parallel side wall'portions and a pair of front wall portions, one

relatedtransvcrsely, tov eachof said .Side; wallv area in the front. wall of; said. casing for permitting the operator tograsp the pull simultaneously inwardly of the, planes'of said side wallportions and across the thickness" of the door. I

2. A door pull of the class described for use with sliding doom-comprising, a two part casing comprising two identical half segments eachhaving a side wall portion and a front wall portion related transversely with respect to each other, a recess opening inwardly of the planes of said related side and front wall portions, a raised lip portion defined: substantially along the: length of-the intersection of said front and. side wall portions in each recess, and means accessible within each recess foe-at taching-said casingsegrnentsain back. toback registering relationship at one edge of adoor such that the front walli portions of said two casings forman enclosing bridge.

acrosstheleading edge of the door with the: said recesses." accessible to the sides and leading edge of the door to afford: the: user a finger engaging pocket for operating thepull asanedge pull and a flush pull.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNI -TED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES American Builder magazine, volume 75, No. l,-'Janu'-- aw y-1953, page 23-3.-

Woodrufi June. 16, 1903" 

